


The Last Roll of Wrapping Paper

by snowbunnylester (xrosepetalsx)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Christmas, Getting Together, M/M, Wrapping Paper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 19:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2885612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xrosepetalsx/pseuds/snowbunnylester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s midnight on Christmas Eve, and Phil has just realized he has no wrapping paper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Roll of Wrapping Paper

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : In no way do I pretend that this is real or cast aspersions on Dan or Phil.
> 
> Written as a donated gift for the [danandphilsecertsanta](http://danandphilsecretsanta.tumblr.com) on tumblr! Message for [galaxyphan](http://galaxyphan.tumblr.com): Merry Christmas and Happy holidays! Hopefully you’ll enjoy a little bit of awkward, shippy phan as a gift! 
> 
> Idea based on this post ([x](http://theinsanityplays.tumblr.com/post/105589530065/beware-phangirl-im-loving-aus-and-im-loving)) and special thanks to beta [mostlikelyprocrastinating](http://mostlikelyprocrastinating.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Kudos keep me alive!

It’s just like Phil to forget to buy any wrapping paper. It’s even more like Phil to not notice until Christmas Eve, as he’d put off wrapping his presents until then.

The worst part, though, is the fact that it’s almost midnight when he realizes, and the _only_ store he knows that sells wrapping paper is closing soon, so he throws on a jacket, grabs his keys, and darts out of his apartment as fast as he can.

A he runs, his only worry is being turned away. He can already imagine the look on his parent’s faces tomorrow if he turns up with unwrapped Christmas presents in his hands, and he shudders at the very thought.

The traffic lights are too long, so Phil jaywalks when he’s sure the coast is clear, half afraid with his clumsiness that he’ll get run over, but too anxious to care. The shop is just within his view once Phil turns the next corner, and his heart is racing in fear that they won’t let him through.

Out of breath, he barely makes it just as a manager moves to block the door. With a pleading look on his face, Phil skirts past him and into the store, receiving a dirty look in response but otherwise being ignored.

Letting out a relieved sigh, he slows to a walk, glancing anxiously over to the one and only cashier currently herding a vaguely large line into semi-order. He cringes at the thought of making the man’s life even worse by adding onto his night, but continues further into the store anyway.

His heart sinks as he reaches the Christmas aisle and finds it already mostly looted, divested of all of its wrapping paper glory. Moving dejectedly, Phil pokes around anyway, hoping to find something hidden away or lost under the piles of Christmas stockings, baubles, and tissue paper.

Just as he’s about to give up hope, his hand rests on something long and round enough to just possibly be wrapping paper hiding in the far back. As he pulls it out, he can’t help the joyful “yes!” that makes its way past his lips in excitement.

Hurriedly, Phil makes his way to the check stand, falling in line behind a very large, sweating man with a cart full of almost all of the rest of the wrapping paper Phil had been fighting so valiantly to find. The man glances behind him, eyeing up Phil’s single roll like he wants to yank it out of Phil’s hands, so Phil takes a step back with a warning look in his eye. The man turns away.

Thankful to have managed a narrow escape of his family’s disappointment in him, Phil finally allows himself to relax, pulling out his phone to mindlessly browse the Tumblr app as he waits in line.

His eyes are tired and dropping, and it’s nearing 1 in the morning when it’s finally Phil’s turn, but Phil knows he has no right to complain. There’s literally no one after him, and only three people in the store: the manager, the cashier, and Phil. It’s Christmas Eve and, even though it’s not just Phil’s fault, he feels like he’s the one to blame for the two men still being stuck here.

“I’m gonna go lock up!” the manager calls, and the cashier nods his head in response. Then he spots Phil’s single roll of wrapping paper and looks up to stare at him.

“…how did you find that?” he asks.

“Uhm…well, I was kind of desperate, so I went rooting around?” Phil answers uncertainly. There’s a murderous look in the cashiers eye at that, and he’s clearly not pleased that Phil managed to find the last roll of wrapping paper.

“Goddamnit,” the man mutters, swiping it from Phil and scanning it for him. “That’ll be £4. 98.”

With a guilty smile, Phil hands the money over, gulping when brown eyes flash at him menacingly in response.

The man thrusts Phil’s change back into his hand, and then, reluctantly, hands over the gift wrap.

Unable to just walk away, Phil asks “Did I do something wrong?” before he can think twice about the question.

The man stares at him, and then finally grumbles back “I was hiding that for myself tonight. I’m not allowed to buy things when I’m on the clock, and I was hoping no one else would find it.”

“Oh,” Phil replies, averting his gaze as he realizes their similar situations.

Phil watches as the man puts his smock away, brown hair falling into his face, and finds that he can’t stop staring. His mind is whirring as he tries to come up with a solution, as he’d obviously just ruined this poor guy’s night, but he keeps finding that there’s really only one thing he can do, only he’s not so sure this guy will be up for it.

“Do you…maybe wanna share it?” he asks, and the guy freezes in place at the suggestion. Phil can feel his ears heating up in embarrassment.

“Sorry, I just…I feel really bad, you know?” he adds, wringing his hands in front of him. “I just…I’d give it to you, only my parents would absolutely kill me, but I’m pretty sure I won’t need the whole roll after all and –“ Phil rambles, but the stranger cuts him off when he moves forward and shoves his hand into Phil’s face. Phil’s mouth snaps shut.

“I’m Dan, and I’m really not in any position to turn down your offer. Let’s go.”

\--

They’re headed to Dan’s apartment first, because Dan lives closer to the store, in complete silence. Phil can’t bring himself to open his mouth and say something as his hands hang awkwardly at his sides, so he just walks swiftly in an attempt to match Dan’s pace.

They’re both quite tall, so their legs are nearly the same length, but Dan beats Phil by a couple of inches and seems to be in much more of a hurry. Phil’s own exhaustion is forgotten in the adrenaline of the moment, but his breath is huffing out of him awkwardly at the pace Dan has set.

Finally, they come to a stop in front of an apartment building, and Dan presses his hand against Phil’s chest when he tries to follow him in.

“I know I’m going into to your apartment, but for all I know, you’re a serial killer, and I’d much rather you didn’t know _exactly_ where I live,” he says, and Phil nods his head in acquiescence.

“Okay,” he says back.

“Be right back.”

For 5 minutes, Phil stands awkwardly outside of Dan’s apartment complex, hands stuffed into his pockets to ward off the cold. The bag holding the wrapping paper hangs awkwardly off his elbow, and every time he shifts from foot to foot, it bangs against his leg, a remainder of why he’s in this situation in the first place.

Finally, Dan comes back out carrying an armful of gifts, and the two are off.

\--

“Welcome to casa de Phil!” Phil says awkwardly after he’s fumbled with his keys for 30 seconds just to unlock his apartment. He ushers Dan in behind him, shutting the door with a faint click, before showing the boy into his lounge. Gifts are strewn everywhere, with bows and labels littering the floor.

It’s clear that Phil had left in a hurry earlier that night.

“Hmm,” is the only thing Dan says in response.

Phil watches as he carefully drops his presents off on Phil’s tiny couch, and then he’s gathering all of Phil’s presents into one pile, and his wrapping materials into another. He leaves a large enough space for the two lanky men and the wrapping paper in the center of the room.

“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Dan invites, and his voice sounds a bit irritated again. Phil complies by sitting down and pulling out the wrapping paper, offering it to Dan first.

“We can take turns,” he suggests, and smiles when Dan nods his head.

They’re silent as Dan gets started, holding his hand out for a pair of scissors once he’s measured out the correct amount of paper for his first gift. Phil’s surprised to see him get to work with his left hand, ripping more paper than is actually necessary, and in an act of goodwill, Phil shoves his hand away to do it for him.

“Sorry,” Dan mutters, and Phil chooses to ignore the flush of red blooming on his cheeks.

“It’s fine. You could have just told me if you needed help,” Phil responds.

“You should never give a pair of scissors to someone who’s left handed. It just doesn’t work,” Dan says, and Phil can’t help but choke on a laugh.

On the upside, when he looks up, Dan is no longer frowning and looking agitated. In fact, it appears they’ve managed to break the ice, and with a grin, Phil hops up to turn on his radio.

“So what kind of music do you fancy? I’ve got some Christmasy stuff, some Ed Sheeran, Muse-“

“You like Muse?” Dan pipes up, cutting Phil off, and Phil nods yes.

“Of course I do! They’re only, like, my favorite band!” he exclaims excitedly, grinning and popping it in when Dan grins back.

“What’s your favorite album?” Dan asks.

“Mmm…Origin of Symmetry, probably,” Phil responds, and Dan’s grin only brightens as he works on his present.

“Mine too,” he says back. The album finally starts up, and it’s not long until both Dan and Phil have started to sing along.

“When you've seen, seen, too much, too young, young, soulless is everywhere!” Dan sings.

“Hopeless time to roam, the distance to your home fades away to nowhere. How much are you worth? You can't come down to earth, you're swelling up, you're unstoppable,” Phil continues.

“'Cause you've seen, seen too much, too young, young, soulless is everywhere,” the both sing, and then they’re collapsing into giggles on the lounge floor, presents forgotten in front of them.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” Dan says once he’s finally calmed down.

“I can,” Phil replies with a cheeky smile.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

\--

It’s 4 in the morning when they finally finish wrapping presents. They were just short of enough wrapping paper, and so Phil has stuck a bow onto the razor he’d bought his little brother. The two had shared a laugh over that, and now they were a boneless heap on the floor. Phil still has his arms wrapped around his torso in pain while Dan lies next to him, eyes fluttering closed.

“That was fun,” Phil finally manages to say once he’s calmed down.

“Yeah,” Dan agrees. Phil turns his head until he locks gazes with Dan. They share a look, and shuffle closer together unthinkingly.

“I’m glad I stole the last roll of wrapping paper,” Phil whispers.

“Me too,” Dan whispers back.

They’re quite for a moment. Phi watches as Dan’s eyes flicker down to his lips and back.

“I kind of want to kiss you right now,” Dan says, and Phil feels his heart thump in his chest.

“…okay,” he says back, and then Dan is shuffling forward on his side and cupping Phil’s cheek. In the next moment, Dan’s lips are on his, soft, and warm, and comforting.

Phil’s never been so glad for procrastinating in his life.

\--


End file.
